Discussion Board

DAY 17, MWL Things are going well for me. I had my usual oatmeal for breakfast. I was out running errands, and had a baked potato and salad at Wendy's for lunch. Dinner was black beans, rice and veggies. I had another ear of corn as a snack. I'm taking tea and flax seed and oatmeal with me to Tanzania. I'm getting so excited, and so glad that I feel so great!

Day 18, MWL I'm doing fine and feeling fine! Last night we ate out, and there was a chicken dish that had rice, beans and veggies with it. The server suggested that I just have it without the chicken. The veggies were grown on a local farm here. I asked about oil, and was told that there was none added. Well, there's good news and bad news. The food was really delicious, and I had left overs to take home. That's the good news, because I've always been a member of the clean plate club. I felt comfortably full, and almost half of the food was left! Now for the bad news - today I got the leftovers out for lunch, and there was a fair amount of obvious oil that I didn't see when the dish had been warm. Oh dear, well, at least I didn't eat it all. I had something else for lunch!
Today I'll pack, because I leave for Tanzania on Tuesday. I actually leave here on Tuesday, but fly out of Atlanta on Wednesday. I'm a minimalist packer, and never take more than a backpack. I have very specific lists, so packing just takes a few minutes. For Tanzania trips, though, I also carry a huge duffle of donations. I have to check that bag. I hope that everyone is having a great weekend. It is beautiful here in southern GA.

I feel excited for you. Please tell us about your trip when you come home.

Re: the oil- your head seems to be right about what you need to be doing so don't sweat it. It's the everyday choices we make that will get us to health so not to worry about the isolated goofs.

DAY 19, MWL
Thanks, Anna, and thanks for stopping by! I agree about the isolated goofs. I'm just trying to be extra vigilant, because I can easily move into lots of excuses that keep me from losing weight! During my travels I'll have less control, so I really wanted my time at home to be strict. I've already really benefited from no cravings, no overeating! I'll let you all know about my trip. Sometimes I have internet there.

Laura, I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip!

Have a great trip!! I can't wait to hear all about it. How did you get involved with the Tanzania work? Is it part of your job? Is it through an organization? What do you do while you're there?

You take one back pack for a whole month in another country? Wow, that must feel so liberating. I need to learn how to do that.

Travel safe! Good job on your MWL success so far. You're doing great!!!

Yes, kkrichar, I take one small backpack for a whole month. This time it will be a little less than three weeks, though. I take a huge duffle of donations, so that is the only bag that I check. It's not donations from me, it is a duffle that they send to me from the US office. They get stuff over there by sending duffles with each volunteer. Whenever I travel, I just take a backpack, and I never check a bag. I've become great at packing, and I only take things that I can wash out, that dry quickly, and that I can rewear.
Once all of our kids were grown, I went on a photography safari in Tanzania. We just happened to visit an orphanage to take some donations, and I fell in love with the kids, the village, everything. It is very, very remote, and I love it. I go every year, and I'm sort of the visiting grandma. Most of the volunteers are 20 - 30. I'll keep everyone posted!

Good luck on your trip Laura! I think its a fantastic thing you do every year! Take plenty of pictures and post them when you get back

Hi to all of you from Tanzania! I'm here, and had great flights getting here. On this long trip ( 24 hours) I do eat the plane food, and order strict vegan. It doesn't seem oily, and tasted ok. One thing, though, Delta/KLM thinks that both butter and cream cheese are vegan!! Those items were in tiny containers. Interesting, because they could have given hummus or peanut butter. I spent the night at a lodge here in Tanzania, and breakfast buffet included beans, cooked tomatoes, and unoily potatoes! How great is that? Well, I head out tomorrow for the place where I work. I'm so excited - cant wait!

Hi Laura,
I once saw a "man-on-the-street" interview in Southern California where random people were asked, "What does vegan mean?" Their responses were hilarious, but it was genuinely surprising to me how clueless almost all of them were. I guess the same is true of Delta.

Wishing you many blessings during your time there in Tanzania! I looked at the website and viewed the video about the work you and others do there and it just looks so great. Wonderful that you are a part of it.

Jambo Laura!!!! I'm so glad you made it safely. Funny about the butter and cream cheese. I went to my class reunion 5 years ago. I called the restaurant a MONTH in advance to arrange for a vegan meal. I didn't ask that it be oil free just vegan. Everyone had to pay $25 for the meal. I got to the reunion and I was served a larger version of the salad everyone else had and a bread stick. That was it. They have a veggie-type stir fry on their bleeping menu! They couldn't give me rice and vegetables??? I think they forgot and then didn't know what to give me when I showed up. It's interesting, though, that you mention vegan and people's brains just shut off. They are incapable of thinking on the spot of what would qualify. The first thing that comes to mind is lettuce and that's it. Crazy.

Anywho, I hope you have a fabulicious time and thanks for checking in from yonder!!!!!

Laura, glad to hear from you too and that you found some food! You have a wonderful time!

Thanks Birds, kkrichar, Anna - Thanks for visiting me in beautiful Tanzania! I'm having a great trip so far. The funny thing on the plane was that it wasn't even a misunderstanding of the word vegan- the meals that I ordered we're called, "pure (or strict) vegetarian" - no meat or dairy. Crazy!
This morning I'm off to The Children's Village. It is about a 4 hour drive, and the last hour is a crazy bumpy, curvy dirt road. I really can't wait to get there! I'll check in soon ( if the Internet there is working).

Hi To all of you from Tanzania! I'm having a wonderful time, and really loving it here. I've been coming for 6 years, so I'm really watching the children grow. Eating is going well. I don't have a lot of choices, but there is always something vegetarian. There seems to be very little oil, but much more salt than I prefer. Some things that I would love otherwise, have cheese mixed in. I sometimes have bread and peanut biputter if the meal won't work for me. I only had to do that so far when they had pizza. My favorite meals are when we eat with the kids - mostly Mc dougall. The other night it was spicy rice with beans and veggies from the farm! I hope that all of you are doing well. Take care, LauraA

Hi Laura, sounds like you are doing great! Tell us all about Tanzania so we can live vicariously through you! What does it look
Ike ther? What is the weather like? What customs and habits do the children have?

Oh of course we could google all this, but it's much more fun and fascinating when we can see it through the eyes of someone we know!